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Calogero
Calogero was a seaside port city on the eastern Mainland. It was the resting place of Determined hero, Kevice Dryadson. During its 2,800-plus year history, it was a part of the Pennant Regency, Avandran Alliance, and Dragon Federation. History In the 4th century ME, retired adventurer Uriel Calogero built a fisherman's outpost on the southern shores of the Avandran Coast. Uriel's homestead was referred to as "Calogero's Outpost" for several decades, even after the adventurer's death. After Uriel Calogero passed away, hermit caretakers and fisherman would use the few structures on the coast as a temporary lodging, meeting place, or trading post. As the fishing scene grew throughout the Middle Era, so did the outpost. Eventually, the village that sprang up was simply referred to as "Calogero". In the 6th century ME, Calogero was loosely affiliated with the Pennant Regency. When pirate raids became a serious problem for coastal towns during the Velgassi Age of Expansion, Calogero officially asked for Regency assistance. The town became formal Regency territory. As the Pennant Regency built a fort atop the nearby Shearpoint Hill, Calogero found itself enjoying the protection of an organized government. Pirate activity decreased significantly, and trade with the port cities of Sel'an, Heaven's Anchor, and Theylas multiplied the town's residents. Importance in the Keelan War Calogero grew into a bustling port city and first stop on travel between Pennant and the Seven Isles. Its importance to the Regency as a shipbuilding powerhouse became evident during the Pennant-Velgassi War of the late Middle Era. Although the ships of the Pennant Regency were smaller in tonnage and carried less firepower than Imperial ships-of-the-line, Calogeran naval forces proved effective in defending the shallow waters of the Avandran Coast. As a result of the stalemate at sea, neither nation seriously threatened the other's naval cities during the conflict. Regency pressure on Calogeran shipyards to produce war vessels did not sit well with town officials. Several labor strikes and shutdowns occurred during the war. A series of political missteps by Pennant Regency leaders in the late-8th and 9th centuries ME only exacerbated the tensions between Calogero and Elder City. Significant complications arose when Elder City nobles described Calogerans as "unpatriotic" and "shortsighted". When Calogeran Mayor Geline Tavos refused to punish the dockworkers for an unprecedented city-wide strike, the Triumvirate denounced her actions. The nearly-simultaneous end to the war proved only a temporary reprieve from the tension. Post-war Strife After Keela the Green and the Velgassi Empire were defeated, Calogero attempted to resume fishing and trade operations. The Velgassi Empire's surrender did not sit well with the Triumvirate, however, and the Regency ordered Calogero to resume shipbuilding activities. Calogero refused. The resulting schism contributed to the city's cession from the Pennant Regency in 854 ME. The short-lived Avandran Alliance was formed under ex-chancellor Floria Redwine, with Calogero as its seat of power. Conflict with the Regency Calogero saw no military action during the Keelan War, but as the Regency began fracturing, the possibility of violence in and around the city was very real. Chancellor Redwine and Mayor Tavos began arming their Avandran Alliance members, including Calogeran sailors. As Galvanheim seceded and Bastion followed suit, the city-state regression of the northern Nentir Vale seemed to be happening in the Elsir Vale as well. Before formal declarations of war, borders, treaties, and other political maneuvers could be completed, the Determined were appointed in Strongwater Lagoon. The Ultima War The arrival of the Determined meant the prophesied Ultima War was at hand. Calogero was one of the first Mainland cities to take notice of the Determined; Wollyn Diggenplump was a frequent performer in the city, and Kevice Dryadson had spent as much time in Calogero as the Seven Isles. When the Ultima War came, Calogero was one of nine cities protected by Lionni's divine shield. It fared better than most, with casualties ranging between 400 to 800. The Dark Age Light City Calogero became the only surviving city on the Mainland's coast after the Ultima War. Because of the worldwide antimagic field of the Null, it was the only point of contact between the Mainland and the Seven Isles. The Lobai Crystal, the astral diamond powering Lionni's divine shield around Calogero, failed in approximately 816 DA-- surpassed only by Sirocco's Heart of Moradin. Calogero would continue throughout the four centuries of the Dark Age as a Dark City, though its population dwindled to a fraction of its pre-Null capacity. The Light Age When the Null Passed, Calogero's population was the third-highest of the remaining Mainland cities that had fought in the Ultima War. It recovered quickly, surpassing the last official Pennant Regency census in 850 ME by the year 388. Throughout the 1st- and 2nd- millennium LA, Calogero rose to become one of the world leaders in commerce, magic, and industry. Its status as the Silver Dragon of the Elsir Vale's Dragon Federation cemented it as a powerhouse metropolis. In 1995 LA, the citizens of Calogero suffered from Iceblood Plague, a disease native to the Elemental Plane of Ice. The quarantine of the city by Governor Elensar was controversial, but it allowed a cure to be developed without spreading the plague throughout the Dragon Federation and beyond. Geography The city of Calogero was nestled at the mouth of the Owlbear Bay, bracketed by the Calogero Foothills. Its topography was mostly hilly, with small plains and grasslands dotting the foothills. It was built just south of the Archer River delta. Climate As a location in the temperate Elsir Vale, Calogero had a relatively mild climate. The seasons were not particularly harsh on the Avandran Coast, and Calogero's location on the Owlbear Bay made it ideal for shipping and fishing. Rain and wind were frequent, blowing in from the nearby Greyflower Ocean. Demographics Calogero saw significant, but not dramatic, demographic changes between the Middle Era and the Light Age. As a city founded after the Great Racial War, it was not subject to many of the prejudices of older establishments. Middle Era The averages post-Regency absorption reflected a predominantly human population: * Human, valeborn: 72.4% * Human, highlander: 8.5% * Halfling: 7.7% * Elf, sea: 4.1% * Elf, wood: 2.5% * Dwarf, hill: 2.3% * Dragonborn, scaled: 1.8% * Other: 0.7% Dark Age Calogeran demographics shifted considerably during the Dark Age. It was assumed that humans maintained a majority, with an influx of elven refugees from the Ultima War. Light Age As one of the few settlements on the Mainland to survive the Null, Calogero's people bore with them the hopes of exploring a new world. In the first few centuries LA, Calogero saw a boom in its population. Old Racial prejudices were slowly fading into history, and Calogerans became known for interbreeding by the 2nd millennium LA. The averages from early Dragon Federation censuses reflect a cosmopolitan population, with over 30% of the population claiming two or more ethnic groups or Races. Tieflings, gearforged, and githzerai were less common than First Races.